I just learned my insurance carrier, Seaworthy Insurance, part of Geico, will NOT cover my 1982 Island Gypsy trawler if I leave USA waters and go to the Bahamas. They say this is because I only have ONE engine. Even though I also have a detached 6 horse Merc for my dinghy, they tell me I am not covered if I leave the USA.

WOW...what a bummer. I was looking forward to getting the courage to making the crossing with my wife...a short sixty some miles from our home port on the Treasure Coast of Florida.

Have others found the same story? I found it difficult to even get coverage because my boat is over 30 years old, but now to learn this, I am not a happy boater.

Any ideas on other companies that write insurance on older boats and will cover travel outside the USA with a single screw? I sort of feel "screwed".

Call Al Golden, International Marine Insurance. He's an independent yacht insurance broker who insures power and sail cruisers who go all over the world. I've known him for more than 20 years. The only broker I've ever even HEARD of who actually went to court on behalf of his client when an insurance co. he represents--or more likely used to represent--didn't want to pay a claim. And he does insure older boats.

I don't think it's uncommon to have restrictions like this put in insurance policies. We use an insurance broker, Anchor Marine based here in Seattle. They shop for the best policy for our boat, so over the 17 years we've owned this particular boat our policy has actually been with several different insurance companies.

To my best recollection all of them have included restrictions on where or how often we can go to certain regions. Examples are the west coast of Vancouver Island and how far out into open ocean we can go. I recall there was at least one policy that specified the number of times per year we could go up the Inside Passage to SE Alaska, and the calendar envelope of time during a year we could make this trip was defined, too. Since we aren't in a position to do this kind of cruising yet we haven't paid that much attention to these details.

The restrictions seemed to have more to do with the weather and water conditions we might encounter rather than the configuration of the boat itself; number of engines, etc.

I think from experience that the restrictions are based on a number of criteria such as size of boat, type of boat, experience of the captain, etc...

We have all of Alaska and Canada to 62 degrees north, not to exceed 50 NM from shore. I inquired about extending to the west coast US states and was told there was a cost, but it was doable with a phone call.

Over the years have found numerous geographic restrictions. Many companies have no interest in insuring travel to the Bahamas or Caribbean. My guess is your company doesn't want to cover boats there but doesn't want to lose the sport fish market.

Would be interesting to know whether the one engine restriction applies to sailboats, probably not.

We have good friends who love aboard in the Bahamas with full coverage. In addition they have made claims and received prompt full payment with no problems. They are insured through edwardwilliam.com , the brokers email is: tristan@edwardwilliam.com

You get what you pay for. We elected to have the clause prohibiting us from cruising Florida or the Bahamas from Aug 1st to Dec 1st, which effectively cut our premiums in half. That on a 36 year old boat with a single engine. Have a similar clause on the policy for the Bayliner (thanks to forum member Pau Hana).

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I'd like to live like a poor man....only with lots of money

I think it is pretty UNCOMMON to deny for one engine for travelling to Bahamas, Canada, Mexico. Further destinations maybe....but in my experience, the navigation limits are based on experience more so than boat.

Here are my Nav limits.....

Navigation Limits Warranty: Warranted confined to the use and navigation of coastal waters, and waters tributary thereto, of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, including the Bahamas, from Eastport, ME to Pensacola FL, not south of Cumberland Island, GA, between June 30 and November 1.

I just learned my insurance carrier, Seaworthy Insurance, part of Geico, will NOT cover my 1982 Island Gypsy trawler if I leave USA waters and go to the Bahamas. They say this is because I only have ONE engine. Even though I also have a detached 6 horse Merc for my dinghy, they tell me I am not covered if I leave the USA.

Any ideas on other companies that write insurance on older boats and will cover travel outside the USA with a single screw? I sort of feel "screwed".

I just learned my insurance carrier, Seaworthy Insurance, part of Geico, will NOT cover my 1982 Island Gypsy trawler if I leave USA waters and go to the Bahamas. They say this is because I only have ONE engine. Even though I also have a detached 6 horse Merc for my dinghy, they tell me I am not covered if I leave the USA.

.................................................. I sort of feel "screwed".

Did they actually say "single screw"?????

or could it also be experience (in boat type, etc)????

Have you ever boated in the Bahamas before? Do you have lots of experience with 30 plus foot single engine boats???

Again in my experience...they can be very picky with navigation limits based on YOUR experience.

They may increase your navigational limits with a change in premium or deductible after some discussion.

Al Golden was mentioned, our member Pau Hana. Then insurers such as Pantaenius and Lloyd's. Look at your exclusions carefully but then don't accept exclusions that unduly restrict you.

We've heard so many tales of what "Can't be covered". Well it all "Can Be Covered" by someone at some price. So we keep our boats year round in hurricane zones, we cruise offshore, out of the country, West Coast, East Coast, Panama Canal and we're covered for all and we are not paying some exorbitant premium. It's just all part of our policy. The only restrictions we have world wide are certain areas of high piracy and other discord such as war would require a rider to be added if we chose to go to them.

The strangest insurance I ever recall being involved in was many years ago, we purchased war insurance on our airplane and pilots as we sent them to retrieve some goods from a country that was in a war state. We also got inclusion for flying over Cuba and got clearance from Cuba to facilitate the trip.

However, just look at actresses and models insuring body parts. That tells you anything is insurable.

Someone mentioned Lloyd's above and someone having difficulty getting paid. I obviously don't know the situation, but their overall reputation is to settle and pay better/sooner/more fairly than industry norms. That doesn't mean that there are not situations where problems do occur.

The question I have is, did you say single engine on the application? Likely if you had said single screw the dumb A that wrote the standards would have approved your trip because of not knowing single screw and single engine is the same thing. Or tell them it is a twin engine. One for the generator one main. That would also confuse them. Which bridge do they get these guys from under in the AM.

On my recent "Baja Bash" from La Paz, BCS, to San Diego, I was out of my coverage zone for about a day and a half. I had waypoints to tell me when I was covered again. I guess if I had any problems I would try to limp back into coverage range. My exclusions are because of the Baja hurricane season. YMMV.

Cheers, Bill

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"There is simply nothing more worth while than messing around in boats."

My Seaworthy policy is through Atlass also (Merritt Island Office.) Russell Jamieson has been fantastic to work with and my premium is ridiculously low considering we keep our boat year-round in South Florida. Our nav limits include the entire east coast, Bahamas, and Turks & Caicos.

ERIC

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"Before you criticize someone, you should first walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you DO criticize them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes." Stephen Wright.